The roof of this home at 1116 14th Place caved in more than a month ago. City officials have told neighborhood leaders it will be torn down, but not when or by whom. The house is owned by Miranda and Marilu Cristobal, who could not be reached.(Photo: Lee Rood)

As a lifelong Des Moines resident and member of the Des Moines School Board since 2003, I’ve watched our city make tremendous progress. Des Moines has earned its accolades as a top city to raise a family or grow a business thanks to public and private leaders who have invested their time and resources to make real change.

But as we celebrate the success of Des Moines, it’s clear more than ever that many of its neighborhoods are in dire need of revitalization. There are neighborhoods outside of Des Moines’ core that are plagued by blighted homes, property values in these neighborhoods are stagnating and any claims that the city is a revitalized, thriving community will be met with a skeptical look from the residents in these areas.

We can begin by learning from programs that are already having an impact in Des Moines. The Neighborhood Finance Corporation’s Front Porch program, for example, provides financing for exterior renovations to properties. Viva East Bank is another example of a coalition that has joined together to revitalize the neighborhoods just east of the Capitol by taking a comprehensive approach that includes housing, business and community development.

These are just two examples that have been implemented to provide a road map to help improve the housing in Des Moines.

Des Moines school board member Connie Boesen serves an East High student some breakfast pizza at the school’s weekly Fuel Up First breakfast.(Photo: DMPS/Special to the Register)

It’s time for us to commit to addressing blight in every corner and neighborhood of Des Moines. Let’s learn from the programs that have worked, strengthen public-private partnerships to fund redevelopment, work to empower neighborhood organizations, examine code enforcement and take a thoughtful and comprehensive look at new development and zoning in Des Moines.

The reality is that improving Des Moines’ neighborhoods is about more than just aesthetics. It increases the quality of education by giving families an incentive to stay here and keep their children in the same schools as their classmates. Right now blighted neighborhoods have higher rates of students in transition compared to stable parts of Des Moines. Prosperous neighborhoods also lead to increased property values, which means greater funding for our schools without raising tax rates.

Connie Boesen(Photo: Special to the Register)

Des Moines has a lot to brag about, and we’ve made incredible progress in many areas of our city. Unfortunately, the families living next to unsafe, rundown and blighted properties can’t brag about their community. It’s time to give families the support they need to improve their neighborhoods and to earn the bragging rights that all of our Des Moines citizens deserve.

CONNIE BOESEN is a Des Moines resident and member of the Des Moines School Board. Contact: Boesendmia@aol.com